There remains a continuing need for better cleanliness in semiconductor manufacturing environments. One particular area includes the mounting of chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) cleaning brushes onto process tools. Handling of brushes removed from standard packaging by gloved worker hands followed by mounting the brushes on the tool can introduce contaminants onto the brush surfaces and onto nodules from the gloves. The brush comes into contact with the substrate (semiconductor wafer, flat panel display, hard disk and the like) during cleaning such that it is highly desirable that brush surfaces be clean and minimize any added particles, metal ionic contaminants, and organic contaminants during shipping and installation. Since many CMP brushes are shipped in a wet or dampened state to maintain compressibility of the brush's sponge material, packing should also provide an environment that preserves the brush's chemical and physical properties, such as eliminating deformation of nodules on the brush's cylindrical surface during shipment as the foam material used in such brushes may have memory characteristics.
Known packaging methods and systems, such as those utilizing a clamshell package, seal the moistened brush within a polymeric shell. When a user opens the packaging, the CMP brush may be grasped by the user. However, grasping the brush may cause the brush to become contaminated, so in such a situation, the user must be careful to only grasp the brush at its ends, rather than at the brush surface. Such clam shell packaging may be susceptible to damage to the integrity of the packaging when dropped.
Such systems constrain the user to handling the brush in a manner that can be extremely difficult, and that often results in accidental contact with brush nodules and brush surfaces intended to clean substrate surfaces. Moreover, a more robust packaging system that can survive drop tests used in the industry would be desirable.